Book excerpt: This book explores the underlying biology associated with the pathology of mental health disorders and the related nervous system. Fully revised for this third edition, each chapter has been updated to include the latest research, ideas and concepts in each field, and includes a new chapter on sleep. Integrating up-to-date pharmacological and genetic knowledge with an understanding of environmental factors that impact on human biology, The Biological Basis of Mental Health covers topics including brain development, neural communication, neurotransmitters and receptors, hormones and behaviour, genetic disorders, pharmacology, drug abuse, anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, subcortical degenerative diseases of the brain, dementia, developmental disorders, and sleep. Accessible and engaging, this is an essential text for mental health students, practitioners and educators.